The Shoulds and Wills of the Oscars
Brendan Monroe
Issue date: 3/5/10 Section: Arts & Entertainment
For years prognosticators have attempted to deduce the way the Academy Awards will vote every year on Oscar night. Simply put, who is going to get those coveted little golden men? Really, the Academy Producers themselves could not care less about which films win the awards; the important thing to them is to ensure a high viewer turnout. They have done a couple of things this year in an attempt to make that happen. The most obvious of these is increasing the number of best picture nominees from the traditional five films to 10.
This is widely seen as the answer to the disappointing nominations of last year, in which two of the year's biggest (and most acclaimed) films, "The Dark Knight" and "Wall-E" were snubbed in favor of lesser-known fare like "The Reader" and something else that I do not remember… but that is exactly the point is it not? No one remembers.
Despite denouncing the routine practices of "prognosticators" of which I most certainly am not, I will nevertheless try my amateur hand at predicting the films that I think will win, along with those that I believe should win.
Best Supporting Actor:
This is a particularly strong category this year, but one that is, for the third or fourth year in a row, a foregone conclusion. Thanks for playing Woody Harrelson, Christopher Plummer, Matt Damon and Stanley Tucci but this is Christoph Waltz's moment in the spotlight, and it is well deserved, too! His performance in "Inglourious Basterds" as the gloriously bad Nazi Colonel Hans Landa, or the "Jew Hunter," ranks up there as one of the best performances in cinema. An upset from anyone would be the most unjust the telecast has ever seen.
Should Win: Christoph Waltz
Will Win: Christoph Waltz
Best Supporting Actress:
This seems to be another forgone conclusion. All the pre-award hype and accolades have gone to Mo'Nique, who will sadly win for her role as the terribly abusive mother to our title character in the film "Precious." Barring an "Avatar" victory, this will be the most undeserved award of the night. Out of the other contenders, Maggie Gyllenhaal is nominated for a strong, if cliché, role as a single mother in "Crazy Heart." Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga are both nominated for their varying roles in "Up in the Air." Penelope Cruz is nominated in this category for the second year in a row for her singing/acting role in the ensemble musical "Nine." If the Oscars truly go to the best performances, then Cruz should receive this award for the second year.
This is widely seen as the answer to the disappointing nominations of last year, in which two of the year's biggest (and most acclaimed) films, "The Dark Knight" and "Wall-E" were snubbed in favor of lesser-known fare like "The Reader" and something else that I do not remember… but that is exactly the point is it not? No one remembers.
Despite denouncing the routine practices of "prognosticators" of which I most certainly am not, I will nevertheless try my amateur hand at predicting the films that I think will win, along with those that I believe should win.
Best Supporting Actor:
This is a particularly strong category this year, but one that is, for the third or fourth year in a row, a foregone conclusion. Thanks for playing Woody Harrelson, Christopher Plummer, Matt Damon and Stanley Tucci but this is Christoph Waltz's moment in the spotlight, and it is well deserved, too! His performance in "Inglourious Basterds" as the gloriously bad Nazi Colonel Hans Landa, or the "Jew Hunter," ranks up there as one of the best performances in cinema. An upset from anyone would be the most unjust the telecast has ever seen.
Should Win: Christoph Waltz
Will Win: Christoph Waltz
Best Supporting Actress:
This seems to be another forgone conclusion. All the pre-award hype and accolades have gone to Mo'Nique, who will sadly win for her role as the terribly abusive mother to our title character in the film "Precious." Barring an "Avatar" victory, this will be the most undeserved award of the night. Out of the other contenders, Maggie Gyllenhaal is nominated for a strong, if cliché, role as a single mother in "Crazy Heart." Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga are both nominated for their varying roles in "Up in the Air." Penelope Cruz is nominated in this category for the second year in a row for her singing/acting role in the ensemble musical "Nine." If the Oscars truly go to the best performances, then Cruz should receive this award for the second year.
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